Johnson Highlights GSA's Role in Supporting Nation’s Veterans

Video Length: 2 minutes 19 seconds

Whether it’s developing a unique patient-evacuation vehicle that offers smooth medical transport for wounded soldiers coming home or designing, building, and maintaining the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Gulfport, Miss., GSA is helping to support our nation’s veterans through acquisition and building projects all across the country.

Johnson highlighted that pledge to the men and women who served during a Veterans Day commemoration event at the U.S. Department of the Interior on Nov. 8 in Washington, D.C.

“I am proud to lead the General Services Administration, an agency that is fully committed to using our acquisition, design, and construction expertise to serve today’s veterans and tomorrow’s as befits their service to our nation.“ said Johnson.

Johnson was a keynote speaker for the event, along with U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry.

In addition to logistics and material support, GSA is committed to harnessing the knowledge-base and skill sets of veterans. To that end, GSA has made the recruitment and retention of veterans a top priority. In line with the president’s Executive Order 13518, which calls for increased veteran hiring, GSA nearly doubled veterans hiring from four years ago to 20 percent.

GSA is also committed to aiding the veterans-owned business community by providing government contract opportunities. GSA has more than 1,000 veteran-owned businesses participating in the schedules program. Additionally, through the agency’s new mentor/protégé program, which matches established businesses with small business to help learn more about doing business with the government, the agency is seeing a 25 percent participation rate by veteran-owned businesses, including many by service-disabled veterans.

cover photo:(left to right)GSA Administrator Martha Johnson, U.S. Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, and Joseph Kennedy, executive director of the Council on Veterans Employment, honor America's servicemembers during a Veterans Day event at the Department of Interior in Washington, D.C., Nov. 8.